30% of Hepatitis B patients can't afford treatment
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Nearly 30 percent of Hepatitis B patients in China do not stick to long-term medical treatment or take medicine less frequently than they should due to lack of money, according to a survey published Friday.
These patients skipped medicines at will, switched to cheaper drugs or even stopped treatment due to money concern. Also 42 percent of the respondents do not visit doctors regularly.
The survey on Hepatitis B patients' treatment, jointly launched by the Chinese Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control and the Chinese Society of Hepatology under the Chinese Medical Association in April, covered some ten thousand Hepatitis B patients in 21 provinces.
Also the survey showed nearly 60 percent of respondents are not aware of the necessity of long-term antiviral treatments and 41 percent thought such treatment should be no longer than two years.
Zhuang Hui, an epidemiologist and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said Hepatitis B patients should take antiviral drugs orally for at least two years.
Zhuang advised patients to consult doctors to figure out a treatment plan in accordance with both their disease situation and income level in order not to give up treatment halfway.
